1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a driving device for outwardly pivoting frames of doors or windows which includes an operating handle such as a crank or the like fitted on a fixed frame and connected to a pivoting frame drive mechanism. This invention is more particularly useful for doors or windows opening "in the English way".
2. Description of the Prior Art
Outwardly opening closures, such as doors or windows, are frequently used, especially in countries where the climate is particularly damp during certain periods of the year. This humidity encourages the development of flying insects and, very often, the doors and windows are lined with screens, or mosquito nets, on the inside of the doors or windows. In most cases, these screens include a curtain of which the distance between the threads which make up the weft is determined in such a way as to ensure perfect circulation of air and also to stop the flying insects from passing through the screen. These screens are usually detachable and can be taken down during the winter. The screens usually consist of a frame which preferably fits into a fixed frame. Therefore, it is not possible to reach the pivoting frame of the window, since the screen is located between a user standing inside the room and the pivoting frame, which is outside the room.
This type of outwardly opening door or window has a further disadvantage of making the cleaning of the outside face of the glass surface very difficult. That is, when the window is located at a certain height from the ground, access is difficult and special means need to be provided for cleaning from the inside.
A device is known which causes a rotational movement of the pivoting frame about a vertical axis passing through one of the uprights and a displacement of the rotation axis in a plane parallel to that of the fixed frame about a vertical axis passing through one of the uprights and a displacement of the rotation axis in a plane parallel to that of the fixed frame. The combination of these two movements results in a displacement to the side by the pivoting frame with respect to the fixed frame and in the creation of a free space on the rotation side, which gives access to the outside face of the glass surface.
This device includes a crank fitted on a lower cross member of the fixed frame. The crank is connected to a worm screw with an axis inclined at approximately thirty degrees with respect to the horizontal in such a way that the window sill does not hinder the rotation of the operating crank. The worm screw engages a pinion with inclined gearing mounted in free rotation on a vertical shaft. A pivoting driving arm is also mounted on the vertical shaft and includes at its end a roller moving in a rail disposed horizontally in a lower part of the pivoting frame. The pinion driven by the worm screw engages a second pinion which rotates freely about a shaft that is integral with the driving arm. On this second pinion is fastened a second arm linked by a connecting rod to the back end of the pivoting frame.
In this way, when the worm screw is rotated by the crank, the cooperation of the two pinions results, on the one hand, in a rotational movement of the driving arm about its axis, and on the other hand, in a combination of two rotational movements of the second arm. This combination consists of a first rotation of the second pinion shaft about the axis of the pinion driven by the worm screw and a second rotation of the bent arm about the axis of the second pinion. These simultaneous movements of the driving arm and the second arm result in a rotational movement of the pivoting frame about the vertical axis passing through one of its uprights and movement of the rotational axis of the pivoting frame in a plane parallel to that of the fixed frames. This device also includes a compass connecting the pivoting frame to the fixed frame and whose function consists mainly in the distribution of the forces applied by the crank onto the driving arm and the second arm, in order to assist the rotation and the simultaneous movement of the pivoting frame.
It is noted that this device, includes certain disadvantages which are mainly in the complexity of the opening and closing mechanism of the pivoting frame, which makes this device rather unreliable. Moreover, certain components of this driving device for pivoting frames are particularly difficult to make, which increases the cost considerably. This is the case, in particular for the pinions, whose gearing must be inclined since they are intended to engage the worm screw, the axis of which forms an angle of thirty degrees with the horizontal for mechanical and convenience reasons.